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Indianapolis Star
Brian Moore, then with Seeger, celebrates a win over Cardinal Ritter High School in the IHSAA Class 1A finals in November 2004.
Brian Moore, then with Seeger, celebrates his team's 20-7 victory over Cardinal Ritter High School in the IHSAA Class 1A football finals in November 2004.
Indianapolis Star 11/26/04--w/story--WHS1A27--Seeger High School's head football coach Brian Moore celebrates his team's 20-7 victory over Cardinal Ritter High School in the IHSAA Class 1A football finals at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis Friday Nov. 26. Staff Photo by Joe Vitti File #106037 Indianapolis Star

By Michael Heinz/Journal & Courier-- Fountain Central athletic director Brian Moore during a pep rally for football team Wednesday, November 24, 2010, at the school near Veedersburg. The team plays Central Catholic Friday for the Class A State title. Journal & Courier

Brian Moore wrestled with the decision to turn his letter of resignation in to the Lafayette Jeff administration up until the moment he went through with it.

"As of this morning, I was still talking to my son, talking to my wife and talking to some of my closest friends and colleagues last night to make sure I am not making a huge mistake," said Moore, who resigned as the Bronchos head football coach on Monday after one season. "I really appreciate the opportunity I got. It is a sad day for me.

"I am struggling a little bit, but I am grateful for the opportunity I got from the administration and the kids. That's the reason I had so much fun. They brought us in with open arms."

The Bronchos went 8-3 in Moore's one season as coach. Lafayette Jeff had won eight combined games in the previous four seasons before Moore's arrival and had not had a winning record since going 6-5 in 2008.

"Brian Moore has done an amazing job here at Lafayette Jeff. He truly has turned this program around," Jeff athletic director Peyton Stovall said in a release. "He and his coaching staff have set our football program up for success. Although it's certainly disappointing to lose Brian, I understand his desire to go back home."

Moore was the head coach at Fountain Central, where he also served as athletic director, for three seasons, going 28-7, and was an assistant for the Mustangs prior to taking over the program. Moore continued to live in Fountain County and commute to Lafayette Jeff.

He also coached at Seeger, winning the 2004 Class A state championship one season after the Patriots lost in the title game. In 21 seasons, Moore has a 187-43 overall record.

Moore said he was appreciative of the risk Lafayette Jeff took in hiring a coach whose head coaching successes had all come at smaller schools.

"They really went to bat for me," Moore said.

Initial plans were to move closer to Lafayette Jeff after his first season, but Moore said his family couldn't pull the trigger.

"Once it comes to fruition, we probably weren't going to want to do that," said Moore, who graduated from Fountain Central. "You can up and move and a lot of people can do that, but we're entrenched where we're at with our church and our family is still in that area."

The amount of travel wore on Moore, who said he still doesn't have a concrete job lined up but that he is retiring as a head coach after a season he called one of the most rewarding experiences of his professional career.

"I don't want to say anybody works harder than anyone else, but they work as hard as anybody and are great kids to coach," Moore said. All the naysayers when I took the job, they were wrong about Lafayette Jeff. These kids will do anything you ask. They'd run through a wall for you. Why would you step down from that? Well, that is a good question. I am just at a point where I am ready to retire as a head coach to be completely honest.

"There's a lot of younger guys on this staff and they work circles around me. I used to do that too. You get these young guys working their butts off and don't care who gets credit. They just love it."